Comics With Kenobi

We're really flying Solo this episode. Seriously. No lie. Why? Because the first issue of Star Wars: Han Solo came out and we read it.Know what else we read? Everything. If it was a Marvel Star Wars comic and it came out in June, Matt Moore and Jeff McGee read it.It's true. All of it.Know what else is true? Jeff and our special guest, Tom Akel, head of content at LINE Corp., apparently went to the same convention years ago and didn't even know it. Small world, eh? Yes it is. But not small enough to contain us as we talked Star Wars, web comics and so much more with Akel whose company, LINE, brought to the U.S. the excellent English-language version of the Original Trilogy with vibrant art and some new story detail that is part of the canonSo, sit back, adjust the volume and listen in and if you agree with our comments and conclusions about the comics we talked about -- Darth Vader, Star Wars, The Force Awakens and Han Solo. If you don't, let us know, too! We're eager to read your thoughts and whys and hows.

We're flying solo for this month's issue. Wait. No, we're not!While Jeff McGee and Matt Moore had expected to have the first issue of Han Solo to discuss, its release was pushed back to later this month.Not to worry, there's plenty to discuss in regard to events in Star Wars #19, Darth Vader #20 and the fifth -- and final -- issue of Obi-wan and Anakin #5 to keep us occupied and in a debating mood.

We're back for this month's issue and what a collection of Star Wars comics that Matt Moore and Jeff McGee have to fuss about and discuss! And phone books. Lots of phone books. (OK, not so much the phone books.)But before we do that, our heartfelt thanks to all who cast their votes for us in the literature category in the first Star Wars Podcast Awards. While we didn't win, your listening to our show, interacting with us on Twitter and enjoying the shared experience of talking about Star Wars comics is what keeps us coming back every month, and then some.In the pages of Star Wars #18, the excellent "Rebel Jail" story arc continues amid crackling dialogue and action from Leia, Sana and Aphra.Meanwhile, in Obi-Wan and Anakin #4, the Jedi Master and his padawan each learn a bit more about each other, themselves and their roles in the wider galaxy.In Darth Vader #19, readers are treated, if only briefly, to a glimpse of the man Vader used to be even as we learn his executive recruiting skills are second to none.A

More than four months after it was supposed to be released, the Star Wars Special: C-3PO one-shot by James Robinson and Tony Harris was finally released on April 13 and Jeff McGee and Matt Moore simply couldn't -- and wouldn't -- wait another two weeks to talk about it. Who could, really?Our verdict? It was worth the wait. Why? Listen to our first -- and not likely last -- one-shot special episode focusing on a special one-shot.

Co-hosts Matt Moore and Jeff McGee swing through four issues in this month's outing, including the penultimate issue of our favorite Kanan, as well as back-to-back issues of Darth Vader and, lastly, but not least, the new story arc "Rebel Jail" that begins in the pages of Star Wars 16.We also discuss the big plans Marvel has for the upcoming Star Wars: Poe Dameron monthly that debuts on April 6 in comic shops worldwide, as well as discuss our preference for Mel Brooks' films and so much more.

It's been awhile, but not as long as the wait for Episode VIII is going to be.Still, it was worth it, given co-hosts Matt Moore and Jeff McGee dive into the comics released since our last issue back in January. (Has it really been almost a month?) and also examine the final sales estimates for comics in 2015, as compiled by John Jackson Miller at his Comichron website.Kanan, issue #10 (just two more issues to go until it comes to an end) sees Caleb Dume, the Clone Troopers and Master Billaba draw inexorably closer to the showdown with General Grevious and, of course, a resolution on Kaller with the Rebels team that Kanan is leading. The issue, written by Greg Weisman and illustrated by Pepe Larraz also stands out for its introduction of a new character in its pages who also appeared in the current season of the Rebels TV show.Star Wars #15 is a luxurious tapestry, with Jason Aaron scripting another tale of Ben Kenobi on Tatooine, as he watches over the young Luke Skywalker.From here on out, any such story foc

After a holiday break -- and a momentous distraction at the cinema -- the Star Wars stories in Marvel's comics are calling to us again and are they ever loud! (Have you felt it?)From the conclusion to the best-selling Vader Down crossover to further exploration of a young Caleb Dume's performance as a padawan in the Clone Wars to finding out what, exactly, happened to that medal Chewbacca got for helping to destroy the Death Star, the most recent batch of comics carries the Saga's undercurrents forward and, co-hosts Jeff McGee and Mat Moore theorize, into The Force Awakens.We also examine the decision to cancel Kanan may mean and ponder what could replace it. Then there's the Star Wars effect on 2015's comic sales that saw four Star Wars comics rank among the top 20-selling books for the year.

While we may be light on issues -- it's just Star Wars Annual #1 and Star Wars #13 -- this 12th issue of Comics With Kenobi is laden with detail and discussion from hosts Matt Moore and Jeff McGee about the ongoing Vader Down Crossover and the pulling back of the curtain on Coruscant, too.

Vader is down, but actually Darth Vader is really up. So far up that all the hype surrounding the six-issue crossover IS worth it! He's also amazingly lethal and so precise that it's scary. Sidious plus Dooku plus Darth Maul plus Kylo Ren scary.But that's just one part of this issue of Comics With Kenobi as hosts Jeff McGee and Matt Moore examine how Caleb Dume reacts to becoming a padawan in the pages of Kanan #8 and agreeing that the Han Solo's wife storyline, while intriguing, was a bit of a letdown and, frankly, took far too long to wrap up.Still, Star Wars 12 was dynamic, with Han Solo again taking up a lightsaber, along with Chewbacca and Leia, while readers are -- we think -- introduced to the 501st, aka Vader's Fist, in the new, established canon.Meanwhile, we continue to love on Chewbacca which, with #4, continues to its quick, breezy pace while showcasing not just the wookiee we love, but the pugnacious Zarro, too.Then we turn back to Vader Down, blasting through Darth Vader #13 which is a thrill ri

This time it's really issue 10 and we're three-fifths of the way through Chewbacca and seeing some solid character development for our favorite walking carpet and learning even more about some of our favorite characters and how they deal with adversity.Meanwhile, in the pages of Darth Vader #12, friendships are forged -- as much as anyone can call a Dark Lord of the Sith "friend" -- and hosts Matt Moore and Jeff McGee are starting to warm on Inspector Thanoth (his ISB security handle should be "Weird Beard.") The so-called Intergalactic Evil Legion of Palpatine Minions? Eh, jury is still out on that band of ne'er do-wells.And finally, in Star Wars #11, we're hooked. From the Gladiator-inspired fight scenes to the rancor-esque beast that Luke must face down to C-3P0's comic relief AND Dengar. There's also a resolution, sort of, to the Han and Sana Solo matrimonial are-they-or-are-they-not conundrum, the effects of which are sure to be felt for several more issues.Finally, we enjoyed giving away a digital copy

For Issue nine -- not 10, we swear it -- things get deep as we discuss the conclusion ofJourney to Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Shattered Empire, noting not just its role in leading up toThe Force Awakens, but how it exemplifies a shift in attitude toward major female characters not named Princess Leia or Mon Mothma, that being that they not just survive, but appear to thrive. We also discuss Darth Vader, Kanan's return to the Clone Wars, LINE Webtoons, and debate the eternal question: do wookiees purr? This is the podcast you're looking for!

In today's issue, Matt Moore and Jeff McGee are literally buried by an avalanche of Star Wars comics, with issues from Darth Vader, Star Wars, Shattered Empire and Lando taking center stage for deep discussion, analysis and a search for not just clues about The Force Awakens, but also references to events, people and places from the Prequel and Original trilogies, too!

In today’s issue Matt Moore and Jeff McGee welcome Marvel Comics editor Heather Antos! She's got lots to talk about when it comes to Star Wars, the Star Wars comics and how such delicate and deeply intricate stories are told, given they're all in canon.We also parse parse the events of the second arc of Star Wars: Kanan, as the team from Star Wars: Rebels returns to the planet Kaller, site of some of the most intensely personal experiences that turned Caleb Dume into Kanan Jarrus. Meanwhile, in the pages of Lando #4, the mystery about those Sith artifacts deepens and Lando is reunited with a friend and perhaps foe as he deals with the Dark Side run amok aboard Emperor Palpatine's yacht.

In today's issue Matt Moore and Jeff McGee dive deep into the first issue of Journey to Star Wars The Force Awakens: Star Wars: Shattered Empire and elaborate on some of the clues they've found that will tie into December's release of The Force Awakens, including a name that you've not heard in a long time. OK, actually, you've heard it often this year ....They also look at Darth Vader #9 and express hope that soon, soon the Super Friends of Evil will finally meet their demise by being hurled headfirst into a pulsar or, at least, written out of the series. Still, Kieron Gillen is crafting an intriguing tale. The ending of this issue will leave you scratching your head and freeze-framing the funeral process for Padme at the end of Revenge of the Sith.

In today's issue, Jeff McGee and Matt Moore give fair warning about how epic Marvel's upcoming Shattered Empire mini-series is likely to be, talking in depth about the crux of its lead characters and how the stalwarts we know and love from the films aren't likely to be front and center. Then we dive, deep, into all of the Star Wars comics being published by Marvel, discussing the merits of Kanan #5 and how the series, which concludeds its first story arc, has been the breakout fan favorite of the three monthlies. (SPOILER -- We love it, too. Even more than Nerf steaks.)

In today's show, Jeff McGee and Matt Moore talk about Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7, which sports the first of what we hope will be several one-issue tales about Obi-Wan Kenobi during his time on Tatooine, watching over Luke Skywalker.

In issue #3 of Comics With Kenobi, hosts Jeff McGee and Matt Moore talk about the conclusion of the Princess Leia mini-series, the start of theLando Calrissian mini-series and the events of Darth Vader #7 while chewing over the Marvel Star Wars comics news from SDCC.

It's Issue 2 of Comics With Kenobi and features the first appearances of songwriter Chris Cage -- he wrote the song we use for our theme -- and comics artist Daniel Warren Johnson of Chicago whose wordless, 11-page story of the A-Wing pilot who sacrificed himself to bring down a super Star Destroyer.  We explain, thanks to Todd Allen, why comics cost the same on store shelves and on digital ones, too, and look at Kanan # 3.

Because you demanded it! Matt Moore and Jeff McGee bring you a serious look at fuuny books, with the latest news, reviews and discussion of the Marvel Star Wars Comics!